Tunnel-type digital imaging system for use within retail shopping environments such as supermarkets

1. A tunnel-type digital imaging system for within retail shopping environments such as supermarkets, said tunnel-type digital imaging system comprising: a tunnel configuration arranged about a conveyor structure for transporting objects through said tunnel configuration; and an image capturing and processing subsystem embodied within said tunnel configuration, and supporting a 3D digital imaging volume above said conveyor structure and within said tunnel configuration, for capturing digital 1D images of objects transported through said 3D digital imaging volume; wherein said image capturing and processing subsystem includes a plurality of coplanar illumination and imaging subsystems, wherein each said coplanar illumination and imaging subsystem generates a coplanar light illumination beam (PLIB) and field of view (FOV), coplanar (PLIB/FOV), that projects into said 3D digital imaging volume for imaging of objects passing therethrough and generating digital 1D images of each said object intersecting with one or more of said coplanar PLIB/FOVs; and a digital image processing subsystem for processing said digital 1D images of objects passing through said 3D digital imaging volume; and a system control subsystem for controlling and/or orchestrating said coplanar illumination and imaging subsystems during system operation; wherein each said coplanar illumination and imaging subsystem includes one or more coherent light sources, and said plurality of coplanar light illumination beams are generated by said one or more coherent light sources; and wherein each said coplanar illumination and imaging subsystem further includes a despeckling mechanism for substantially reducing the coherence of said PLIB so as to substantially reduce speckle-pattern noise power observed in said captured digital 1D images.

2. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 1 , wherein said one or more coherent light sources comprises one or more visible laser diodes (VLDs).

3. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 1 , wherein said digital image processing subsystem processes said digital 1D images so as to read one or more bar code symbols on said objects, and generate symbol character data for each read bar code symbol.

4. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 1 , wherein each said coplanar illumination and imaging subsystem produces at least one coplanar PLIB/FOV within a predetermined region of space contained within said 3-D digital imaging volume.

5. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 1 , wherein each said coplanar illumination and imaging subsystem comprises one or more planar light illumination modules (PLIMs) for generating one said PLIB, and a linear image sensing array with optics providing said FOV on said linear image sensing array.

6. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 4 , wherein said plurality of coplanar PLIB/FOVs are projected through said 3D digital imaging volume so as to support omnidirectional imaging within said 3D digital imaging volume.

7. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 1 , wherein each said coplanar illumination and imaging subsystem automatically buffers captured digital 1D images and assembles these digital 1D images to construct digital 2D images of the object taken along said FOV of said coplanar PLIB/FOV associated with said coplanar illumination and imaging subsystem; and wherein said digital image processing subsystem processes said digital 2D images to read one or more 1D and/or 2D code symbols graphically represented in said digital 2D images.

8. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 1 , which further comprises an object detection subsystem for automatically detecting the motion of each object that passes through said 3D digital imaging volume, and generating a control indication signal indicative of said detected object.

9. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 1 , which further comprises an electronic weigh scale disposed along said conveyor structure for weighing said objects that are automatically identified by said digital imaging operations within said tunnel configuration.

10. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 8 , which further comprises an object dimensioning subsystem for dimensioning objects that are automatically identified by said digital imaging operations conducted within said tunnel configuration.

11. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 10 which further comprises a data element management subsystem for managing and linking data elements associated with the identity of objects imaged within said tunnel configuration, and other data elements selected from the group consisting of object dimension data elements and object weight data elements.

12. A tunnel-type digital imaging system for use within retail shopping environments such as supermarkets, said tunnel-type digital imaging system comprising: a tunnel configuration arranged about a conveyor structure for transporting objects through said tunnel configuration; and an image capturing and processing subsystem embodied within said tunnel configuration, and supporting a 3D digital imaging volume above said conveyor structure and within said tunnel configuration, for capturing digital 1D images of objects transported through said 3D digital imaging volume; wherein said image capturing and processing subsystem includes a plurality of coplanar illumination and imaging stations; wherein each coplanar illumination and imaging station includes: (i) a linear imaging array having optics providing a field of view (FOV) on said linear imaging array that is projected and extends into said 3D digital imaging volume; and (ii) one or more light emitting devices configured together to produce a substantially planar light illumination beam (PLIB) that extends in substantially along the same plane as the FOV of said linear imaging array so that each said linear imaging array and corresponding one or more light emitting devices produce at least one said coplanar illumination and imaging plane that projects into said 3D digital imaging volume; wherein said plurality of coplanar illumination and imaging planes project through and intersect within said 3D digital imaging volume, for imaging of objects passed therethrough and generating digital 1D images of each said object intersecting with one or more of said coplanar illumination and imaging planes; a digital image processing subsystem for processing said digital 1D images of objects passing through said 3D digital imaging volume; and a system control subsystem for controlling andlor orchestrating said coplanar illumination and imaging subsystems during system operation.

13. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 12 , wherein each said coplanar illumination and imaging subsystem includes one or more coherent light sources, and each said coplanar light illumination beam is generated by said one or more coherent light sources.

14. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 13 , wherein said one or more light sources comprises one or more visible laser diodes (VLDs).

15. the tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 13 , wherein each said coplanar illumination and imaging subsystem further comprises a despeckling mechanism for substantially reducing the coherence of said PLIB so as to substantially reduce speckle-pattern noise power observed in said captured digital 1D images.

16. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 12 , wherein each said coplanar illumination and imaging subsystem includes one or more incoherent light sources, and each said PLIB is generated by said one or more incoherent light sources.

17. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 16 , wherein said array of incoherent light sources comprises an array of light emitting diodes.

18. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 12 , wherein said digital image processing subsystem processes said digital 1D images so as to read one or more bar code symbols on said objects, and generate symbol character data for each read bar code symbol.

19. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 12 , wherein each said coplanar illumination and imaging subsystem produces at least one coplanar illumination and imaging plane within a predetermined region of space contained within said 3D digital imaging volume.

20. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 12 , wherein said plurality of coplanar illumination and imaging planes are projected through said 3D digital imaging volume so as to provide omni-directional imaging coverage within said 3D digital imaging volume.

21. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 12 , which further comprises an object detection subsystem for automatically detecting the motion of each object that passes through said 3D digital imaging volume, and generating a control indication signal indicative of said detected object.

22. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 12 , which further comprises an electronic weigh scale disposed along said conveyor structure for weighing said objects that are automatically identified by said digital imaging operations within said tunnel configuration.

23. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 12 , which further comprises an object dimensioning subsystem for dimensioning objects that are automatically identified by said digital imaging operations conducted within said tunnel configuration.

24. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 12 , which further comprises a data element management subsystem for managing and linking data elements associated with the identity of objects imaged within said tunnel configuration, and other data elements selected from the group consisting of object dimension data elements and object weight data elements.